"And what about the faeries? And the Winsome Witch?" Amanda pressed.

"We would ne'er do harm to visitors to our realm," explained the Troll, "except in defense of the Tanglewood."

"And what have the faeries done, that you need to defend the Tanglewood from them?" asked Amanda.

"Your blue friends have harmed us not, nor we them. They keep their enchantment within their own ring, and we do not object, but the red-haired one's powers are greater, and Twilight Tanglewood is sensitive to the magick."

"Sensitive to magick in what way?"

"This very tree in which you now sit was once the home of an ancient and wise sorcerer. His body has gone on to another realm now, but his spirit remains with us, in the fabric of this tree and the lifeforce of all of the Tanglewood. He grew this wood himself, you see, through his own magic. He was imprisoned in the tree by his arch-enemy - the result of some lovers' quarrel - and could not for all of his powers free himself. And so, as an amusement I suppose, he created the Tanglewood. He grew this tree taller than all of the others. He packed the forest with growth more tightly than any other forest before it, and altered the very fabric of the trees themselves so that they might not only withstand the dense environment but actually thrive in it. The sorcerer then conjured us, to watch over and protect his creation. Twilight Tanglewood has been our home for millennia now. We know no other."

"I can see that you love your home very much," remarked Amanda, "but the Winsome Witch would never do you any harm. She was only out with the faeries, travelling to see new places and meet new friends when you imprisoned her here."

"She is descended from the very witch who chained our sorcerer within this tree so many years ago," replied the Troll.

"But Winsome holds no enmity against you, simply because your ancestor fought with hers. Can you not extend to her the same good will?"

"It is not that simple."

"Why not?"

"As I said before, Twilight Tanglewood is sensitive to the magick. Our sorcerer is gone bodily from this place, but his enchantment here lives on and allows our home to thrive. Your witch's spellwork is imbued with the spirit of her foremother, whether she is conscious to this or not. Her new magick works against the ancient magick which created our home and causes damage of which she may not be aware. Even her little grove spell which she is working now is causing a withering of the Tanglewood in that location."

"Did you explain this to the Winsome Witch?" asked Amanda.

"We tried, but her language structure is such that we could not firmly grasp it, and she eats of only her own enchantment. The blue creatures, likewise, we were unable to understand or make understand us. You are the first to come with whom we have been able to speak plainly since this problem began."

"Let me return to the witch then, and explain this to her," suggested Amanda. "I am sure that she will understand. We mean you no harm and only wish to return to our own homes."

"And if we release your witch to you, how is it that you will leave our world?" queried the Tree Troll.

"We travel between worlds by the witch's magi- ... Oh. That is a problem, isn't it?"